Save the Hero
by Total Reject
Summary: One Shot- Talia is an avenger but when she is dying in the debris of the city who will be the one to save her? Or is it too late?


I could feel the concrete and steel digging into my spine as I stared into the dusty air of the city. The sudden silence of the city had calmed me. It was over, finally after hours of fighting. I felt tears sting my wide eyes, but they didn't fall. _I'm not strong enough to cry_. The sudden realization was bitter. As was the taste of blood in my mouth, it tasted almost acidic making me feel nauseous. I couldn't spit it out though, I couldn't move, slowly chocking against the acrid smells of the smouldering city and the recognition of fate.

One of the minions had managed to get my back, cutting right though my spinal cord and piercing my lung, or that what I assumed considering my laboured breathing. I couldn't feel anything from the neck down, the only other indication of it getting my lung was the fact that my breaths were getting shorter and the almost inaudible gurgling sounds I made taking them. Thanking Odin that they were quiet as otherwise they would be hearing it through the crackling earpiece that still, however fractured it was, gave me updates on the other avengers who were currently on their way to Loki, all safe, all fine. That was my personal mission after all, to make sure that they lived, that the _survived_.

I was sure that at least one of them would walk past me at some point. They had let me do my thing during the battle, calling me in to do jobs that they could not do themselves or that they needed help with. I guess that _everybody wants to lean on me_. As this though passed my earpiece gave a static whine causing me to wince, only my head giving movement. There was silence for a few seconds before I heard Tony's voice coming through.

"Talia, we need you to do a perimeter check, you know the drill, if you see one take it out." There was another burst of static and silence as he didn't wait for an answer. _I guess I'm their soldier_. Expendable. Suddenly a jolt of pain burst in the back of my skull. That was when my eyesight started swimming and I tried to hold back a choked sob. I could hear sirens in the distance but they were too far away and my team had to deal with Loki, they didn't need me to be an extra problem on top of that, knowing how difficult the God could be. _If I was their soldier, who's gonna be mine?_

* * *

The avengers stood united opposite the god of mischief. Loki himself cowering slightly, taking in the six strong individuals that were standing over him, ready for attack. A slight smirk came upon his lips as he looked them all over again, there were only six of them but where he wondered was the seventh?

"I think this whole scene would me more intimidating if Lady Talia was present, don't you think? I mean don't you want to take me in as a united front?" Loki waited for a reaction, trying to bait something out of the team, stalling I what he realised were possibly his last moments.

"She's doing a perimeter check, taking out any stragglers." Came the blunt reply of the billionaire stood slightly to the left.

"Oh really? Stragglers? Funny, I thought that they all went down when the portal closed, unless they found another mothership on Midgaurd to supply them with power." Loki was amused, how did the team manage to prevent an invasion yet not see the obviously catatonic Chitaurai that lay around the city. "I mean have none of you checked in on her?" a pause and a slight smirk, "Now I have a funny feeling that the answer to that is no,"

"Talia is fine, she would have contacted us if anything had happened, now Thor can you please sort your brother out?" it was the redhead that had spoken this time, effectively cutting everyone off and silencing the raven-haired god as his vision suddenly became impaired and he lost consciousness.

* * *

I knew it was too late when they found me, the stretcher only pulling at my wounded back, the crude bandage done only a few minutes earlier barely holding my organs in. The paramedics were fast, shining lights in my eyes and asking me questions. I didn't have the heart to answer them, no need for any false pretences'. I watched their worried faces as I started slipping, their voices raising and merging to make white noise. I was screaming inside my mind, my conciseness pleading, begging for some sort of help. I watched with unblinking eyes as they tried to shock my heart into starting but we all knew it was a lost cause. _What can bring me back to life? A simple word, a gesture?_ Not this time. The guilt of life was heavy and it only pulled me further into the dark abyss of nothingness _. I wish someone would just come here and save me._ My eyes slowly lost focus on the ambulance ceiling. _I've given too much of myself._

"Time of death 5:23pm"

* * *

It was when they were walking leisurely back to the Stark tower after the shawarma, their fatigue forgotten, when the atmosphere suddenly changed from relaxed and easy to tense. Bruce being the first to notice the forgotten member's absence.

"Where's Tal's?"

A simple question caused shockwaves through the previously smiling group, faces immediately dropping their smiles.

It took them two hours before JARVIS was able to locate the fallen comrade's earpiece, the small device broken and abandoned. The earpiece was still letting out static as it lay on the floor next to small rivers of congealed, blackening blood that looked like dye bleeding into fibres of fabrics as all the small cracks and imperfections of the rubble were filled creating a stark contrast to the pale greys of the concrete debris in the surrounding vicinity.

Steve looked around desperately as he rose to his feet. Clint, Natasha and Bruce frozen in shock crouched down next to the sickening yet somehow fascinating display. His large feet stumbling as he blindly moved backwards, brushing up against the Norse god of thunder who was stood tall with a stony expression on his face, his eyes blazing with the intensity of a tropical storm. Tony was sat down opposite Natasha with his head in his hands, helmet laying abandoned five or so meters away, soft words were just noise to the rest of the group as shock made the air harder to breathe.

Steve was the first one to notice the ambulance down the road, its back doors wide open and a stretcher covered in a starch white sheet laying parallel to the end of the vehicle. There was no movement and guilt clouded his mind as he laid eyes on the casualty. Of course, there couldn't be war without pain and suffering. He almost couldn't look as he caught sight of a hand hanging out the side, it was pale as death with familiar black ink swirling around the wrist and up the arms in obsidian patterns, he tried to but he couldn't tear his eyes away as they made their way down the cloth covering the body and finally rested on a familiar worn out pair of black combat boots.

* * *

 _Who's there to save the hero_

 _Who's there to save the girl..._

 _After she saves the world._


End file.
